I like wine. In fact, I really like wine.
I don’t drink a lot of it, but when I do drink it, I would prefer it did not contain arsenic. So you can imagine my concern when I found out that a class action lawsuit had been filed because a bunch of other people also didn’t like arsenic in their wine.
The 2015 suit claims dozens of wineries are violating California state law by knowingly producing, marketing and selling wine contaminated with inorganic arsenic and failing to warn consumers about the potential danger.
That danger has been highlighted in two independent studies which show that certain wine maker’s wines contain levels of inorganic arsenic ranging from 10 to as much as 50 parts per billion. While this amount may not seem like much, the limit set by the US government for drinking water is less than 10 parts per billion. The suit claims that if consumed at a rate of one to two glasses a day, this amount over time can be linked to serious health risks such as cancer, increased risk of diabetes, and/or cardiovascular ailments, all possibly resulting in death.
Arsenic is a very well known, highly toxic poison. In fact it was a favored form of intentional poisoning among the privileged classes during the middle ages and has been revealed to have played a role in the assassinations of Napoleon Bonaparte, Simon Bolivar, King George III, Francesco De Medici, King Faisal I, among many other prominent historical figures.
There are almost no federal labeling requirements to inform the consumer what’s really in wine. Strangely enough, drinking water is the only beverage with an arsenic limit set by the U.S. government.
Recently concerns have come to light about the arsenic levels in rice, apple juice, and beer.
It is no wonder that consumers are become more and more conscious about what they are ingesting, and have been demanding more and more transparency through labeling, and also stricter regulation of the food and beverage industry.
The suit is still in its infancy and is a long way off from being resolved. The data found may still be in question, but I maintain that it should be my choice to select a wine with either higher or lower arsenic content depending on my preference of arsenic quantity. For instance; I might choose a wine with lower arsenic content for a daily table wine, while reserving a wine that I like quite a bit, but with a relatively high arsenic level, for special occasions.
FYI: The study was conducted on more than 1300 wines. The findings show elevated inorganic arsenic levels in 83 of the wines from 28 wineries.
Some of the popular wine brands named in the lawsuit include Franzia, Ménage à Trois, Sutter Home, Wine Cube, Charles Shaw, Glen Ellen, Cupcake, Beringer and Vendage. The wines named in the lawsuit are primarily inexpensive white or blush varietals including Moscato, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.
Here is the list of wines, in the class action suit, which were found to contain in excess of 10 parts per billion:
| Brand | Consumer Item Description |
Supplier | Year |
| Acronym | Gr8Rw Red Blend | Winery Exchange | 2011 |
| Almaden | Heritage White Zinfandel | The Wine Group | NV |
| Almaden | Heritage Moscato | The Wine Group | NV |
| Almaden | Heritage White Zinfandel | The Wine Group | NV |
| Almaden | Heritage Chardonnay | The Wine Group | NV |
| Almaden | Mountain Burgundy | The Wine Group | NV |
| Almaden | Mountain Rhine | The Wine Group | NV |
| Almaden | Mountain Chablis | The Wine Group | NV |
| Arrow Creek | Coastal Series Cabernet Sauvignon | Winery Exchange | 2011 |
| Bandit | Pinot Grigio | Trinchero | NV |
| Bandit | Chardonnay | Trinchero | NV |
| Bandit | Cabernet Sauvignon | Trinchero | NV |
| Bay Bridge | Chardonnay | The Wine Group | NV |
| Beringer | White Merlot | Treasury Wine Estates | 2011 |
| Beringer | White Zinfandel | Treasury Wine Estates | 2011 |
| Beringer | Red Moscato | Treasury Wine Estates | NV |
| Beringer | Refreshingly Sweet Moscato | Treasury Wine Estates | NV |
| Charles Shaw | White Zinfandel | Bronco | 2012 |
| Colores Del Sol | Malbec | Treasury Wine Estates | 2010 |
| Glen Ellen By Concannon | Glen Ellen Reserve Pinot Grigio | The Wine Group | 2012 |
| Concannon | Selected Vineyards Pinot Noir | The Wine Group | 2011 |
| Glen Ellen By Concannon | Glen Ellen Reserve Merlot | The Wine Group | 2010 |
| Cook’s | Spumante | Constellation | NV |
| Corbett Canyon | Pinot Grigio | The Wine Group | NV |
| Corbett Canyon | Cabernet Sauvignon | The Wine Group | NV |
| Cupcake | Malbec | The Wine Group | 2011 |
| Fetzer | Moscato | Fetzer Vineyards | 2010 |
| Fetzer | Pinot Grigio | Fetzer Vineyards | 2011 |
| Fisheye | Pinot Grigio | The Wine Group | 2012 |
| Flipflop | Pinot Grigio | The Wine Group | 2012 |
| Flipflop | Moscato | The Wine Group | NV |
| Flipflop | Cabernet Sauvignon | The Wine Group | NV |
| Foxhorn | White Zinfandel | The Wine Group | NV |
| Franzia | Vintner Select White Grenache | The Wine Group | NV |
| Franzia | Vintner Select White Zinfandel | The Wine Group | NV |
| Franzia | Vintner Select White Merlot | The Wine Group | NV |
| Franzia | Vintner Select Burgundy | The Wine Group | NV |
| Hawkstone | Cabernet Sauvignon | Winery Exchange | 2011 |
| Hrm Rex Goliath | Moscato | Constellation | NV |
| Korbel | Sweet Rose Sparkling Wine | Korbel | NV |
| Korbel | Extra Dry Sparkling Wine | Korbel | NV |
| Menage A Trois | Pinot Grigio | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Menage A Trois | Moscato | Trinchero | 2010 |
| Menage A Trois | White Blend | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Menage A Trois | Chardonnay | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Menage A Trois | Rose | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Menage A Trois | Cabernet Sauvignon | Trinchero | 2010 |
| Menage A Trois | California Red Wine | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Mogen David | Concord | The Wine Group | NV |
| Mogen David | Blackberry Wine | The Wine Group | NV |
| Oak Leaf | White Zinfandel | The Wine Group | NV |
| Pomelo | Sauvignon Blanc | Mason Cellars | 2011 |
| R Collection By Raymond | Chardonnay | Jean-Claude Boisset Wines | 2012 |
| Richards Wild Irish Rose | Red Wine | Constellation | NV |
| Seaglass | Sauvignon Blanc | Trinchero | 2012 |
| Simply Naked | Moscato | Constellation | 2011 |
| Smoking Loon | Viognier | Don Sebastiani & Sons | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | Sauvignon Blanc | Trinchero | 2010 |
| Sutter Home | Gewurztraminer | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | Pink Moscato | Trinchero | NV |
| Sutter Home | Pinot Grigio | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | Moscato | Trinchero | NV |
| Sutter Home | Chenin Blanc | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | Sweet Red | Trinchero | 2010 |
| Sutter Home | Riesling | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | White Merlot | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | Merlot | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | White Zinfandel | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Sutter Home | White Zinfandel | Trinchero | 2012 |
| Sutter Home | Zinfandel | Trinchero | 2010 |
| Trapiche | Malbec | The Wine Group | 2012 |
| Tribuno | Sweet Vermouth | The Wine Group | NV |
| Vendange | Merlot | Constellation | NV |
| Vendange | White Zinfandel | Constellation | NV |
| Wine Cube | Moscato | Trinchero | NV |
| Wine Cube | Pink Moscato | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Wine Cube | Pinot Grigio | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Wine Cube | Pinot Grigio | Trinchero | NV |
| Wine Cube | Chardonnay | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Wine Cube | Chardonnay | Trinchero | NV |
| Wine Cube | Red Sangria | Trinchero | NV |
| Wine Cube | Sauvignon Blanc | Trinchero | 2011 |
| Wine Cube | Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz | Trinchero | 2011 |
| *NV – No Vintage | |||
